Chair fob



j which constitutes the seat. Fig. 3 is a per` UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

JAMES G. HOLMES, OF OHARLESTON,SOUTH CAROLINA.

CHAIR Fon INvALIDs.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 3,761, dated September 24, 1844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Gr. HOLMES, of the city of Charleston, in the State of South Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manner of Oonstructing Chairs for the Use of Invalids Vor Others, which I denominate the ""l`he1i'apeutic Chair; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof. i

The principal characteristic feature of my chair is the peculiar manner in which I have combined the seat with the back, with a jointed apron in front and with the lower frame of the chair, so that a person sitting therein can, by his own weight operating on the back, cause the back, and t-he apron, to assume a horizontal position, and to constitute a couch, or can cause the back and the apron to stand at any inclination to the bottom that may be desired, and can, also, by allowinghis weight to press upon the "seat, elevate the back, and depress the apron, at pleasure, from a horizontal, or an inclined position.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1,`

is a perspective representation of my therapeutic chair, with its cover on. Fig. 2, is an inside view of one side of theframe of the chair divested of its covering, and without any of that part of the frame work spective view of a partot the same framework, and also of a part of that which forms the frame of the seat, which frame is represented as broken oli1 at about the middle.

A, A, is one of the side pieces of the chair back. Each ofthese side pieces is attached, by a joint pin, at a, to the inner side of the frame, B, of the lower part of the chair, B, B, being two ofthe legs.

C, O, are the side rails of what I have denominated the apron, and which has, at its lower part, a ljointed foot board, D, similarto those used in other `invalid chairs. The side rails, O, C, of the apron, are, like the side pieces, A, of the back, connected to the frame B, by a joint pin, a. d

E, Fig. 2, is one of the side rails of the frame of the chair seat, which frame is connected at each side of the chair by joint pins, Z), Z), to the pieces A, and C. The arms F, of the chair are hinged at c, c, to the piecesA and O, as shown in the drawing, the joints being so situated as that the side inclination.

Vparallelism to each other, like the two slats of a parallel ruler. It will be seen that un- 'der this arrangement., the chair seat has an independent frame, and thatwhen the back, A, is placed in a horizontal position, the joint pins, a, and Z), will be on the same horizontal plane, or nearly so; that in assuming this position the seat will have been raised, and brought forward to a distance dependent upon thedistance of the joint pins, a, and b, from each other.

`Supposing a person sitting in the chair when in the position shown in the drawing; if he lean against the back, it will be depressed, the apron part preserving the same horizontal angle with it, and the seat will be elevated.' If the back be brought to a horizontal position, the three parts above named will stand in the same plane; but this motion may be arrested at any intermediate point, with scarcely an eifort on the part of the incumbent. On` making an attempt to rise from the horizontal position, the weight thrown on the chair seat will depress it, and the back will rise and the apron :tall to an extent dependent upon such effort. It is oftenldesirable to secure the respective parts in place when they are standing horizontally; and to effect this there may be a sliding rail, ci, (Z, on each side, of the seat frame, E. IVhen these sliding pieces are drawn out, they pass under the apron frame, and support it. The sliding pieces, (l, d, on each side of the frame may be connected by a cross piece, and both of them be drawn out together.

I ordinarily use latch levers also, for a like purpose, and for that, likewise, of retaining the back and apron at any desired One of these latch levers is shown at Gr; these levers are connected by joint pins, e, to the apron rails, O, and they are notched so as to be arrested at any point by the staple, f, which is made fast to B. By means of a cord, g, on each side of the chair, these levers may be raised or dropped, at pleasure, and the desired end attained. i

`Having thus, fully described the nature of my improvement in the therapeutic chair, and shown the manner in which the respec* by Letters Patent, is- Y The manner in which I have combined 2 n 3,761 Y A* the seat7 the back, and the apron, with each ed and combined substantially as herein set other, and with the lower segment, or legs, forth.

of the chair, as herein set forth; by which combination and arrangement the person oC- JAMES G HOLMES 5 eupying the chair is enabled, by the action Witnesses: of his own gravity, to govern the position of F. DE MAY,

the movable parts; the Whole being connect- B. K. BROTHERSON. 

